Chemical fire-extinguisher.



A. G. BADGER. CHEMICAL FIRE EXTIN-GUISHER. APPLICATION FILED NOV. a,1907.

906,185. Patented Dec. s, 1908.

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ARTHUR CAMPBELL BADGER, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CHEMICAL FI E-EXTIN'GUI'SHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Application filed November 8, 1907. Serial No. 401,233.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR CAMPBELL BADGER, of Newton, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Chemical Fire E-xtinguishers, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a chemical fire extinguisher, comprising areceptacle in which is supported a bottle adapted to hold the acidingredient of the charge of the extinguisher, the bottle being normallyclosed to retain the acid, and provided with a cap which is adapted tobe ru tured by a plunger movable through the wall of the receptacle.

Heretofore the sealing cap of the acid bottle has been made of brittlematerial, such as glass, so that when the rupturing plunger is forcedagainst it, the cap is entirely destroyed-or so ruptured as to form anoutlet of indefinite size, with a liability of discharging the acidmore'rapidly than is either safe or desirable, it being well .known thata too rapid discharge of the acid into the other ingredients of thecharge, is liable to result in a dangerously sudden increase in pressurewithin the receptacle. p

My invention has for its object first to enable the sealing cap of theacid bottle in a chemical fire extin ui-sher to be ruptured in suchmanner as to form an opening of a predetermined size, the form of theopening being determined by the form of the rupturing device or lunger,so that the outflow of acid from the ottle will take place at apredetermined rate.

The invention also has for its object to rovide certain improvements inmeans for iolding an acid bottle in place, and for rupturing the sealingcap of the same.

The invention consists in the improve ments which I will now proceed todescribe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forminga part of thisspecification,-Figure 1 represents a sectional view of the up er endportion of a fire extinguisher embo ying my invention, the same beingshown in its upright osition. Fig. 2 represents a view similar to ig. 1,showing the extinguisher inverted, and the bottle cap penetrated by themovable plunger. Fig. 3 represents a sectional view showing thepunctured bottle cap, the penetrating plunger being removed from it. ig.4 re resents a section on line 44 of Fig. 5. ig. 5 represents a planview of a holder, as here shown, comprising a cage composed of rods 16afiixed to cars or lugs on the neck 13, and rings 17 and 18 afilxed tothe rods 16, the ring 17 being formed as a seat for the bottom of thebottle, while the ring 18 surrounds the upper portion of the bottle.

19 represents a confining member, which is preferably a sheet metalsleeve soldered at one end to a flange 20 on the under side of the cover14, its opposite end being enlarged by a shoulder 21, which overhangsthe margin of the bottle neck, and prevents the bottle from being movedto any considerable extent away from the seat ring 17. The enlargedmouth of the sleeve 19 surrounds the neck of the bottle. The sleeve isprovided above the shoulder 21 with orifices 22 to permit the free flowof acid through the sleeve when the apparatus is inverted and the bottlecap is broken.

23 represents a plunger which is movable in a stufling box 24 on thecover 14. The inner end of the plunger is rovided with a penetratingportion 25, whic is preferably of pyramidal form, and is normally heldin the retracted position shown in Fig. 1 by a spring 26 interposedbetween the gland of the stuffing box and a head 27 on the outer end ofthe plunger. The bottle 15 is provided with a Sealing cap 28 whichispreferably composed of lead, and may be secured to the bottle in anysuitable way, such as by means of a screw-threaded flange 29, formed onthe cap, engaging an external screw thread formed on the neck of thebottle.

When the parts are in their normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, thepenetrating portion 25 of the plunger stands immediately over the centerof the cap 28, so that when the plunger is forced inwardly, thepenetrating ortion 25 will penetrate and rupture the bott e cap 28. Thisoperation may be accomplished by inverting the extinguisher, andpressing or striking the plunger head 27 against the floor or ground,thus ushing the plunger inwardly to a definite egree, and causing itspenetrating portion 25 to enter the bottle cap, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the construction illustrated the de ree of inward movement permittedto the pIunger is defined or determined by the s ring 26 which, whencollapsed, acts as a imiting stop.

The material of the cap is, in accordance with my invention, made of amaterial which while readily penetrable by the plunger, and capable ofresisting the action of the acid contained in the bottle, isnon-frangible in that it is not capable of being broken into fragmentsby the impact of the plunger against it, and is moreover of such naturethat the plunger in entering it, will form an opening which conformsaccurately to the penetrating portion of the plunger, the rupturedportion of the cap being confined to an area not exceeding that of thecross section of the penetrating portion of the plunger at a point whichis in the plane of the cap when said ortion is at its inner limit ofthrust. It wi be seen, therefore, that provision is made for forming anopening of predetermined size and shape in the bottle cap, so that theacid will escape from the bottle at a predetermined rate, neither tooslowly nor too rapidly. An efficient chemical action is thus insuredwithout the possibility of a dangerously rapid generation of gas andpressure in the receptacle.

When pressure is removed from the plunger head 27, the penetratingportion of the plunger is withdrawn from the opening in the bottle capby the retracting spring 26, so that acid is free to flow from thebottle through said opening, the acid being spread equally in differentdirections by flowing against the inclined sides of the enetratingportion 25.

While I consider ead the best material known to me for the bottle cap28, it is obvious that any other suitable non-frangible material whichhas the characteristics above specified, may be used instead of lead.

When the cap 28 is relatively thick and stifl, the penetrating portionof the plunger will displace only the portions of the cap with which itcomes directly in contact, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In case the cap isthinner and more yielding, its entire surface within the flange whichengages the bottle neck, will be forced inwardly, the central portion ofthe cap yielding to the ressure of the plunger, so that the angles 0 thepenetrating portion 25 will form a series of radiating slots 30, whichcollectively form a starshaped opening in the cap. The form of thisopening is accurately determined by the form of the penetrating portion25, the opening providing for a predetermined flow of acid through it.The penetrating portion 25, as above stated, is preferably of pyramidalform, this form providing cutting edges at the intersection of the sidesof the pyramid, so that the bottle cap is out along radial lines, theoutlet thus formed being composed of radiating V-shaped slits, separatedby V-shaped tongues.

I claim:

1. A chemical fire extinguisher, comprising a casing having a removablecover, a bottle provided with a cap of penetrable, flexible,acid-resisting material, such as lead, a plunger movable in the cover,and having a penetrating inner end adapted to form an opening ofpredetermined size and shape in the bottle cap when the plunger is movedinwardly, means for supporting the bottle with its cap in the path ofthe plunger, and a retracting spring to withdraw the plunger from thesaid opening, the material of the cap being such that the form of theopening corresponds to the form of the penetrating portion of theplunger.

2. A chemical fire extinguisher, comprising a casing having a removablecover, a bottle provided with a cap of penetrable, flexible,acid-resisting material, such as lead, a plunger movable in the cover,and having a penetrating inner end of pyramidal form adapted to form astar-shaped opening of predetermined size in the bottlecap when theplunger is moved inwardly, means for confining the bottle with its capin the path of the plunger, and a spring adapted to automaticallywithdraw the plunger from said opening.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

ARTHUR CAMPBELL BADGER.

Witnesses:

' C. F. BROWN,

0. BATGHELDER.

